Lost Souls
by Chibi Botan
Summary: A Collection of One-Shots.. This was inspired by the first few chapters of the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, when Yusuke tagged along as Botan ferries souls. Each chapter's a new story, no cliffies here.
1. Amaru

**Lost Souls**

A Fanfic Series by Chibi Botan

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**Story One: Amaru**

_"Amaru Hideaki is a lively seven-year-old boy. He loves to play with friends during afternoons at the park. He loves to ride his father's motorcycle when he picks him up from school. He loves weekends when his mother would bake brownies and make the sweetest milkshake. He loves to attend school with children his age, and is very bright. He loves to make friends with everyone he meets… _

_"On the 5th day of May, 1996, Amaru and his father traveled to Kobe to visit an orphanage. On Route 23, they passed by two cars racing against each other. One of the cars suddenly swerved to their side, and they were not able to maneuver their motorcycle away from it. Toki, Amaru's father, died instantly, while Amaru was rushed to the hospital, and was in comatose state for six months..."_

**i**

_November 9, 1996_

Botan scanned a page-long entry from _Enma's Register_ silently. Six months ago, a fellow ferry girl had ferried Amaru's father. He asked the ferry girl to watch over his son for him. He had not known that his son will meet him soon in heaven. And now, Botan is on her way to the hospital. She was assigned to ferry Amaru to Reikai.

**ii**

Little Amaru sat at the edge of the bed. He wondered where he was. It wasn't his room, that's for sure. This room he's in was all white, while his room was painted a light shade of blue. He looked all around him. Everything seemed weird to him.

_Mother? Father?_

He wondered where his parents are. Why is he alone in this weird room?

His eyes darted to the door, which had two round glass windows. But he couldn't see through it. He heard a commotion outside. He couldn't make out what it's all about, but he's sure he heard his mother's voice.

He decided he should go outside. His mother's voice seemed frantic. He's going to know what this is all about.

A hand touched his shoulder.

Surprised, he looked back. He thought he was alone in the room.

"Hello there." The girl greeted him. His eyebrows furrowed. And then he shaked his head a bit. He felt light-headed, so that must be it. Surely the girl didn't have blue hair and pink eyes? Or maybe he was dreaming?

The girl smiled at him. "My name's Botan. And you're Amaru, right? Pleased to meet you." She smiled and offered a hand.

Amaru didn't speak.

The girl left her side of the bed and helped him up. She held her firm grip on his shoulders.

"What are you?" This girl looked like she came from comic books he loved to read. Before the blue-haired girl could answer, they heard a loud, heart-breaking wail outside.

Amaru instantly tried to leave, but Botan stopped him.

"Wait. You asked me what I am. Amaru," she stooped so they were at the same eye level, "Let's just say I'm an angel. And I'm here to guide you to heaven." She moved to his side so he would see what she tried to block from his view earlier.

At the center of the bed, covered with a white sheet, is Amaru's body. Though it was covered, Amaru was smart enough to know whose body it is. He looked away, unable to stare at it. Botan held his hand.

His lips were trembling when he mumbled, "I'm dead."

With this, Amaru's mother rushed inside the room, crying as she hugged the lifeless body on the bed.

**iii**

Amaru refused to leave.

Try as she might, Botan can't make him go with her. Although he accepted his death faster than she expected, the boy was too worried about his mom. He only just learned about his father's death. To him, that means his mother would be left all alone.

"You understand, right? I can't go with you," he repeated.

Her heart went out to him. It's hard to see a young child trying to be brave enough to face death. Of course, she understands.

"Alright, Amaru, but I will be back soon."

She pretended to leave, but in truth she watched over him for a while.

That first week, she went back almost every day, but he still refused. So she kept watch as Amaru follows his mother around, all the time trying to comfort her, but never able to touch or to talk to her.

All the while, Botan wrote about him on _Enma's Register_, where the records of everyone go on even as he moved on to the afterlife. On the seventh day, she wrote:

"_Amaru has fairly adjusted himself as a non-living. But he feels the need to stay in Ningenkai now that no one looks after his mother. Today, his body was cremated and he watched as everyone he knew pay respect. When everyone left, he said that what bothers him is that his mother is now alone in their house."_

**iv**

Two days after that, Botan went back to check on Amaru.

He found him on his room, staring at a picture on the side of the bed. On the picture was smiling faces of him and his parents, and a lovely little girl she hasn't seen before.

"I almost forgot…" Amaru said and looked back at her.

"What did you forget?"

"Mimi."

"Oh. You mean her?" She pointed at the girl in the picture.

"Yes. We were going to visit her that day, when we had an accident."

"I see. Would you like us to visit her?" she suggested and smiled at him.

He smiled, for the first time since… "Can we?"

"Of course." They stepped outside and she produced her oar. "Hop in and lead the way!"

"To the orphanage, please." He said and adjusted himself.

She glanced at him for a second but didn't say anything. In a few minutes, they arrived at the orphanage. It was a small, shabby building at the downtown area. They went straight to the headmistress' office, where, according to Amaru, visitors are accepted. They found the headmistress speaking to another kind-looking old lady. Amaru said the other is a cook.

"I see that the adoption permit for Mimi has arrived. But I can not contact Mr Hideaki on their phone number," the headmistress said.

"That's because the phone is not plugged since..." Amaru whispered, though he knew they wouldn't be heard.

The cook was worried, too. "I have not seen them visit. Little Mimi sure missed them. We have their home address; maybe we should send them a letter."

"I intend to do that. I haven't heard from them in a few months. Ah, they must be busy, too. They did say on their last visit that they will be busy."

Amaru tugged on the sleeve of Botan's kimono. "They didn't hear about the accident, Botan-san. But that means mother can adopt Mimi now, right?"

"Yes, I think that is what it means."

"Then let's go see Mimi. She must be at the garden. She likes it there."

**v**

And they did find Mimi at the garden table, coloring. She glanced at Amaru and smiled, and Botan wondered if the child can see them. But she looked back and saw several kids. Maybe Mimi was smiling at the kids and not them.

As Mimi set out a new sheet of paper and started to draw, Amaru sat beside her. He talked to her, and didn't mind if she can't hear them. He just went on talking.

"I'm really sorry, Mimi, we didn't visit you after I promised to. You see, we had an accident, and then I have to take care of our mother… I'm going with Botan-san soon, to Heaven, and I'll be with father there. Mother won't be lonely anymore, as soon as you're home with her. Take care of her, okay. And you can have my room and all my toys there. And I left home a gift for you; father forgot to bring it that day. It's just on my closet. I hope you will see it easily. Find it for me okay?" He leaned a bit and kissed her forehead. It was his silent goodbye.

Botan felt proud of this little boy, who died so young but cared so much more for other people than his own self. Amaru stood up and went to Botan's side. They left, aboard Botan's oar. Both didn't notice that Mimi looked on, clutching her drawing of a stick family towards her heart.

**vi**

Rina, Amaru's mother, received the letter from the orphanage in a few days after.

She thought of Mimi, who they decided to adopt and kept visiting a few months before Toki died. They both wanted a daughter, and can't wait, so they decided to visit that orphanage a few miles from their hometown. There, they met little Mimi. They knew instantly she's who they wanted to adopt. They visited often while waiting for the legal papers to be signed, and were like a real family.

Until that day, when Toki fetched Amaru from school to visit Mimi, and met an accident on their way. She hasn't visited their little girl since.

She misses Mimi, but wasn't sure she's ready to take her home. She just lost her husband and only son. Now she was afraid to be left again.

"At this rate…" Botan stopped and didn't say what she thought. She thought that if Rina wouldn't keep Mimi, then Amaru might never come with her.

"Botan-san, is there a way I can speak to mother?" Amaru suddenly asked.

Botan hesitated at first, and then nodded. "You can speak to her in a dream."

"Really?" Amaru wondered excitedly.

"Ah, yes. I think you're ready now." She smiled. "We'll wait until she sleeps."

**vii**

In Rina's dream, she went to her son's room and found him getting ready to leave. He was wearing his favorite hiking shirt. She asked him where he's going.

He smile at her and said, "But, you already know where I'm going."

"I don't want you to go. Toki has left, too." She said, trying not to cry.

"He's waiting for me up there."

She reached for him. "I don't think I can let you go. I'm alone here…"

"Mother, do you remember?" He stepped backwards so she'll see the badges he got from the previous father-and-son camp. "Father said he wanted to have Mimi here, so when we're away on camp, you'll have her with you. Father thinks she'll be a good company when we're gone. He said that again that day…"

That was when she let her tears fall. "I will miss you."

**viii**

_December 24, 1996_

A cab pulled over in front of the Hideaki residence. Rina emerged, and following her was six-year-old Mimi. They went upstairs and Rina showed her new room—the room that was once Amaru's.

Just outside, Botan and Amaru looks on. Both are happy that Rina took Mimi home.

"So, are you ready to go now?" Botan asked him, smiling.

"Yes." He smiled back.

They looked on for the last time, and saw Rina leave the room to prepare some cookies and milkshake. As soon as she left, Mimi opened the closet, and soon enough found a gift kept inside—the same one Amaru told her about. She opened it to find a framed drawing made by Amaru. There was the four of them, hand in hand, in front of their residence.

Mimi carefully placed the frame beside their picture, and looked outside the window. She waved goodbye to the two spirits outside.

Botan and Amaru waved back, and sped off to Reikai.

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**- end of story one -**

Thank you for reading!

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**Author's Notes**

This was inspired by the first few chapters of the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, when Yusuke tagged along as Botan ferries some souls. So here's the first story for my mini-fanfic series. Please leave a review, and if you liked it, please add this to your watch list because I'll be adding more stories soon. ^^ I hope it didn't come out very sad…


	2. Tomo and Lauri

**Lost Souls**

A Fanfic Series by Chibi Botan

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**Story Two: Tomo and Lauri**

_Lauri Maxwell, 14 years old. Her family has just moved to Japan. Her father was strict and she was not allowed to go far from their new home. Normally, Lauri would just stay at home to read a book. But on the night of December 10, 1997, she decided to explore the outskirts of the village, feeling free to go as far as Numazu-shi with her new bike. She passed by the edge of a zigzag road and admired the view. Suddenly, she heard screeches and police car sirens. There was a shootout and a group of bandits in a minivan was being followed by a police car quite far behind. It was too late when the bandits noticed Lauri at the edge. They hit her and she, along with the bike, fell. The bandits escaped unharmed, while the police never knew about Lauri's death._

Sakura sighed as she reread these lines she had almost memorized by now. Lauri was one of the souls that she was assigned to ferry during her first year as a ferry girl. Two years passed, and no amount of coaxing could make the girl go with her. She is, according to her, waiting for her family to find her there. But because she left home without notice that night, her family didn't know what happened to her when she disappeared. Up to now, her body remains hidden at the heart of the forest below, waiting to be found.

**i**

_December 8, 1999_

"Hi there, Tomo," Botan greeted twenty-three year-old Tomo Uchihara cheerfully.

He looked back to her, surprised. "You can see me?" He was about to unload a long series of questions, but he found himself dumbstruck after seeing her. Blue hair, pink eyes, pink kimono... and is she really riding an oar?

"Of course, I can see you. I'm Botan, guide to the spirit world. Pleased to meet you."

Tomo blinked a couple of times before he found his voice. "Uh, pleased to meet you too. You can see me, so, are you dead too?" He looked from her to the crowd just in front of them, and then to the race car that crashed at the side of the track. "I think I just died in there."

"Right," she confirmed, still cheerfully. "And I'm here to ferry you to the spirit world."

"So you're _the_ grim reaper? Unbelievable," he laughed, and followed her when she motioned him to sit beside her.

"One of many." She noticed that he stopped laughing suddenly and looked behind them.

"Wait, miss. If I go with you now, I can't go back, right? I mean, I have this... unfinished business here on earth. I don't think I'll go with you after all."

_Oh no. _Reviewing his records before meeting him, it seemed to her that this guy doesn't want to stay on earth any longer. Why, despite his outgoing personality, he seemed to be chasing death. There were a few records of suicide attempt, and he raced cars as if he really wanted it to crash. Nothing worked, until this accident. At least _this_ is a real accident, according to records.

Tomo stepped down, and faced her. "You're not going to force me to go, are you?" He looked like he doesn't think she _can_. "I promise to go soon after this; I really just have to see someone."

Well, they really don't force any soul to go, but it's their job to be persuasive. "Okay, let's make that a deal. I'll be back very soon."

**ii**

That afternoon, Botan spent the day with the girls. Shizuru invited them to their ancestral house, which was at the outskirts of Numazu. Yukina, who now stays with them, was excited when Keiko told her there will be fireworks that night. They won't be attending the festival, but they'll have a good view of the fireworks display from the ancestral house. Someone suggested _bonfire_, and they found themselves exploring the forest for firewood.

Botan found herself separated from the others, but she kept going. She felt something—someone was there other than the girls on this forest. Soon enough she saw a girl no more that fifteen, sitting on a log with her back on her. A spirit, that was obvious, who might be lost. She decided to approach.

But before she got near, the girl jumped up and ran ahead. "Go away! I told you I'm not going with you to the Spirit World!" She shouted before looking at her. She blinked, realizing it was someone she doesn't know. "Oh. I thought it was that ferry girl again. You can see me, can't you?"

"Yes, I can see you. Which ferry girl were you expecting?" she asked, conversationally.

The girl went back to her seat, and Botan sat beside her.

"Sakura. She's a ferry girl—something like a grim reaper, and she wants me to go with her. I don't want to, you know. I'm waiting here for someone." She looked at her alarmingly. "You're a ferry girl too, aren't you?"

"Yes. My name's Botan. And you are?" she asked, trying to keep the topic off her being a ferry girl. This one seems weary of her kind.

"I'm Lauri."

"I see. You said you're waiting for someone. Mind if I ask who?" Lauri looked as if she has a lot of things to say. Which was normal, considering she's here in this forest alone.

"I'm waiting for my parents. You see… I've been here for a long time. I don't remember how long. I'm waiting for my parents to find out I'm here. And take me home. I just know they will. You see that?" she pointed above to that zigzag road that leads to the city. "I fell from there with my bike. My parents don't know yet, so I just wait until they do."

**iii**

That night at the bonfire, Botan was too preoccupied about Lauri that she didn't appreciate the fireworks as much as the girls did. Her mind was elsewhere. Shizuru might have noticed, but she didn't say anything. The next day Botan went back to work.

It was a busy day for her, but she didn't forget Tomo. She went back to the race track to find him slouching, looking terribly sad.

"Hey there, what's up?" she gave him one of her _it's-going-to-be-alright_ smile.

"I can't find her," he sighed.

"Err, who?" she looked at him curiously.

"I can't even remember where it happened. It seemed so long ago. But when I was alive, I always dreamed of it. In my dreams it happens over and over. I guess I shouldn't have waited until I died to do something about it."

By now Botan knew that he wouldn't hear her if she asked again. He seemed to be deep inside his mind while telling her things.

"You see, about two years ago, my team mates and I won some racing competition. One of them asked if we're interested to earn easy money. Of course we were. When I realized the plan was to rob a small bank, it was too late to back out. I went along, and honestly I was thrilled with the thought, _we're race car champions, the cops can't get us_. They ran after us, but they were too slow. I thought it was fun, until…"

She was listening to him with much interest now.

He stopped for a while, refusing to look at her, and then continued, "We reached this zigzag road, I don't know exactly where, and I saw a girl on her bike. She was just at the side, and I knew we would hit her. We were running too fast, and it was too late, I _saw_ her fall. It's awful, I had nightmares about it. We were never caught… and I watched the TV coverage, nothing about her came up. I think… I think nobody ever found her. And now I can't find her too."

It was then he looked at her, and saw her mouth open in shock.

"I wouldn't blame you if you disliked me now," he told her. For the past two years he hated himself for it.

"No, no, it's not that," she shook her head vigorously. "I think I just found her, Tomo!"

**iv**

"I'm really sorry, I don't think I can approach her," Tomo apologized. They were still at the race track, and Botan just asked him if he wanted to know where she is.

"Um, I'm not really saying you should go meet her. But really, when you said you have an unfinished business, what were you planning to do?"

"I guess I'm mostly bothered that no one's found her. I mean, now that I'm dead, and I know we can still _feel_ as a spirit. I thought then, she must be feeling sad, right? It's unfair that she was dragged on to this mess we made. I guess I want to set things straight."

She doesn't want to, but she had to ask, "How do you plan to do that?"

"That is, I don't know. If I was still alive, maybe I'd call the police and tell them…"

An idea sparked, and she asked, "Does anyone who knows about this might feel the same remorse? Like, a team member?"

He thought for a moment. "There's this woman, the lone female in our group, she became different after what happened. She moved and we never heard from her again. I know she saw her fall, too."

"Well, you know where she moved, right?" she hoped he does.

"Yes."

"Good!" she made him stand up. "Let's go see her!"

**v**

"Looks like she has difficulty sleeping," Tomo observed. "Like me…"

They were now at Lenne's apartment at the city. It's visible that she was having a rough life. Everything in the house is a mess. Basically, the girl's asleep, but she kept tossing and turning, as if having some nightmare.

"You can talk to her in her dream, you know. Maybe remind her about— "

"I can't," he said firmly.

"What? But…"

"I don't really think I need to. Look," he made her look at the bedside table, where a lot of items were stuffed. A calendar with a red X mark on the day, December 10. A newspaper clipping, with Lauri's picture on it, announcing that the search party for her has given up after a year's search. Tomo didn't hear about it because the family didn't know Lauri dared to go far, and the search party only looked at places the family has been to.

"She remembers her..." was all Botan could say.

"December 10. That's tomorrow," he whispered. "I think she's planning on something."

They waited until Lenne woke up. The first thing she did that morning was stare at the X mark on the calendar. And then at the newspaper clipping.

"It's been two years," she whispered, "and I haven't slept without dreaming of you. I've been a coward, but now I know what I have to do." She stares again at the calendar and at the clipping once more, and headed for the phone.

"Hello, officer. I'd like to give information regarding a missing person's case, and a robbery that happened two years ago…"

**vi**

"Hey, are you okay?" Tomo has been silent since they followed the police cars heading to Numazu. Just a few meters from the ancestral house, a search party scattered to look for the remains of a young girl who reportedly fell there.

"Uh, yes. Just that, maybe I wasn't needed here after all. Lenne's the one who made this happen, not me." Tomo looked as if he just woke up from a nightmare.

"Don't think of it like that. You showed remorse for what you did and tried to correct it. That's important."

He looked at her, flushed. "I guess I'm embarrassed. Lenne was so brave, doing this. She didn't even stop to think about what will happen to her. You think she'll be okay?"

"I think she's still young and has a lot of time, a lot of chances in life."

Tomo nodded, but still looked shaken. "It makes me feel guilty, you know. I'm dead and as much as I think I'm ready now, I won't be paying for Lauri's death as Lenne will."

"Well, hold on to that thought until we reach the Gates of Judgment," she shrugged.

"That's not exactly assuring," he said, but instead of worrying, he laughed. He knew Botan doesn't intend to worry him. She's only speaking of the truth.

They stayed there for a few hours, waiting until the body was found.

Later they saw another ferry girl talking to Lauri not far from where they are. Lauri noticed at them and waved. He didn't know if she was waving to him or to Botan. Botan waved back, but he didn't. He bowed at her as she stared. Maybe it's his imagination, or wishful thinking, but he thought she smiled before taking the hand of the ferry girl beside her.

He shifted his attention to Botan. "I really think I'm ready to go now, miss."

**vii**

Sakura heard about the new search party and rushed to see Lauri. She found her standing beside her parents, who just arrived. She seemed busy staring at them, and at her brother and sister, so she gave her time. When she finally looked back and noticed her, she smiled.

"Hi again," Lauri greeted her with a smile, for the first time since she met her.

"Hello, Lauri." She was breathless.

"Hey, my parents are here. They found me!"

She ran to her side, just as the cops and other people from the search party formed a circle around her remains and covered it with a white cloth. Her mother and siblings were crying, but her father was silent. Everyone moved to give way to him. He kneeled beside the remains.

"We've been searching for you… I guess we knew that you're gone, but now we found you. I'm sorry it took us so long, sweetheart."

Lauri left her side again to stand beside her father. "You came for me, I knew you would. You're going to be okay dad." Her father stood up. "And tell Miss Lenne I've forgiven her long ago," she whispered. And then she's back to her side again.

They barely heard when Lauri's father asked the cops if they can speak to Lenne. They didn't hear when Lauri's mother assured the cops that they only wanted to tell Lenne that what she gave them was closure. That maybe now they can move on, now that they found their daughter.

Lauri noticed two spirits hovering nearby. They haven't been introduced, but she knew who he was. She waved to them, and while Botan waved back she noticed that he bowed. She just smiled, and took Sakura's hand.

"Hey Sakura, I'm sorry for yelling at you on your last visit."

"That's okay, I understand," she said kindly. "Well, you think you can go with me now?"

"Yes, I was about to ask you."

Just before they left, Sakura found a few seconds to scribble the last entry for Lauri's record:

_There are many things that do not need to be said. Tomo showed his remorse and it's easy to see that Lauri has a forgiving heart when she smiled back to him. She has shown that she accepted everything in peace. Now that her family found her remains, Lauri is ready to face the Spirit world._

_

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**- end of story two -**

Thank you for reading!

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**Author's Notes**

Done proofreading. I think. And yeah, this isn't supposed to be story two (originally fourth of my draft stories) but I feel inspired and excited I just have to post it right away. Thank you for the add and reviews, I really appreciate them!


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